Austin Animal Center and area animal shelters are partnering with Finding Rover, a free mobile app for finding lost dogs in real-time.

Area animal shelters will come together and announce the partnership at 3 p.m. on Dec. 4, 2014 at the Austin Animal Center 7201 Levander Loop. Finding Rover will have a technology booth on-site to assist anyone wanting more information or with help downloading the app. Those attending will receive gift bags by the company.

Additionally, Nulo Pet food will attend and present the Austin Animal Center and partners with 5,000 pounds of dog food.

Nationally, more than 10 million pets go missing each year, according to The Humane Society of the United States. Finding Rover’s facial recognition technology helps reunite more dogs with their owners by enabling anyone to instantly identify a missing dog on the spot simply by taking a photo on a mobile device.

Finding Rover features a comprehensive lost and found dog notification system that sends a push notification and social feed photo alert if a dog is lost or found within a 10 mile radius. If a user spots a lost dog, he/she can take a photo either within the app, or upload a photo from a device’s photo album. Once a dog has been found and identified through Finding Rover’s facial recognition software, the finder will receive information on how to notify the owner.

“This mobile app is just one more resource in our tool box that will make it easier for lost dogs to find their owners,” said Chief Animal Services Officer Abigail Smith. “We are thrilled that Finding Rover has chosen Austin as their launch city in Texas, and are pleased that this app will help reduce dogs entering the shelter in the first place.”

Finding Rover will soon be launched in San Antonio and Houston.

“A dog is a beloved family member and if it goes missing it can be devastating to everyone involved,” said John Polimeno, CEO and founder of Finding Rover. “We want to do everything we can to safeguard our dogs from being lost forever. Registering a dog on Finding Rover is another step all owners should take to further protect their cherished pet.”

Key benefits of the app include:

Simple to register: Registration is easy through Facebook and email – all you need is a picture of your dog and a zip code.

Easy to use: Anyone with a mobile phone can take a photo of a lost dog, which will be instantly posted on Finding Rover.

Technologically advanced: Finding Rover spent two years with The University of Utah research and development (R&D) department creating its proprietary facial recognition technology. Finding Rover has the only technology that instantly recognizes a dog on the spot.

Social: Finding Rover unites dog owners based on common interests and provides a forum for users to read up on the latest dog news, share content and interact.